The Power Within
by Hollie Black
Summary: Banished ex-slave Chaeli leaves Carthak to start her new life in Tortall. But first, she has to find the only person who can help her deal with the Wild Magic she fears is madness, Daine, who has other things to deal with, including a missing mage & thre
1. Sailing

            Hello, hello!  Aie!  I can't believe it, this is my very first Tamora Pierce fanfic!  Hehe, I've been reading others' work for ages, but now I've finally gotten an idea for a fic of my own!  I'm so excited!  

Disclaimer:  I don't own Tortall, Tyra, Carthak or any of the other places from Tammy's world.  Also, all her characters like Daine, Numair, Kel, Neal, Faleron, the Bazhir and all the rest of 'em are, of course, hers.  (Though, I wish I owned Neal... *sigh*...)  I created Sauda, Danil, Ilsa and the rude sailor dude.  The plot belongs to me.  Uh, any other original characters are mine.  And then there's my main character... I'm not sure whether to classify her as mine, you see.  Since she's technically... not, I think.  On Tamora Pierce's webpage, there's a deleted scene from EM (to read it, go here: ), and in it there is the character of an unnamed slave-girl.  I took that character and made her Chaeli.  So, therefore, I have no idea whether she'd be considered my character or not... hmm... ah well.  

            Just so you know, this fic takes place a little after The Immortals Series.  It begins when Kel is almost complete her second year as a page, and I've no clear idea yet how long I'll go with it.  This story is kind of a prequel to another story I've been thinking about... so, yea.  

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The Power Within

By Hollie Black

            The rain was _cold_.  Chaeli gripped the railing with white-knuckled hands as the sea spray mingled with ice cold rain, matting her long, jet black hair to her head, neck and shoulders.  Warm, honey brown eyes stood out against her darker hued skin.  She was soaked to her bones, freezing, exhausted and as sick of sailing as she had been the last two days, but today there were new emotions; the beginnings of excitement and along with that, apprehension.  The journey from Carthak to Tyra City across the Great Inland Sea had not been an exceptionally long one, but the travel had quickly worn her out and lowered her spirits.  

            "Oi, girl," a rough voice from behind her made Chaeli start, and she turned to see one of the crewmembers standing behind her with a bucket and mop.  "Move out o' me way, lest yer wantin' to be doin' me job for me," he told her, then shoved her aside like one would a ragdoll without even waiting for her reply.  

            But she was no stranger to harsh treatment.  _That man is nice__ compared to the princess, she thought as she stumbled her way across the deck and down into the hold, where it was, if not warm, at least dry.  She followed the now all too familiar route down to the lowest, dingiest part of the hold, where the passengers with the cheapest fares slept, all crammed together.  __It could be worse here, she thought for what must have been the millionth time_.  This could be a slaver's ship off to the Copper Isles, or some such.  It would be more crowded then, and the food worse, I would think._  She closed her eyes, leaning back against the small corner of room she had long since claimed as her own.  _I just wish the rats would go away... and that Ilsa was here.  __

            Even as she thought the name she felt her eyes water, and, furious at herself, she blinked back the tears.  _This wont do, she told herself firmly__.  No good crying over it, she told me herself.  I'm off to better things, she'd be proud, I know it.  I've just got to find the Wildmage.  _

            Somewhere along her thoughts began to blur, and soon she was overcome with sleep, curled up against the wall, rocked gently by the water.  

*~*~*

            Calloused hands roused her from slumber several hours later.  "Up, child, up!"  Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Chaeli blinked several times.  When her world finally came into focus, she recognized Sauda, a large, middle-aged black woman, a former slave like herself.  Sauda acted the mother to the parentless children in the lower-hold, making sure they were fed and bathed, and always checking that they were minding their behaviors.  She reminded Chaeli strongly of a mother hen, always overseeing her brood.  She peered down at the scrawny girl, yellow-brown eyes critical.  "You up?"

            "Yes, ma'am," Chaeli replied promptly, stifling a yawn.  

            "Good," Sauda said, patting the girl's cheek lightly.  "There's a big a-do up top.  Reckon we almost to Tyra."    

            Now Chaeli was up and alert.  "Really?" she asked excitedly.  "Do you know how much longer till we dock?"

            Sauda shook her head, some of her short black locks falling loose from the tight bun she kept her hair in.  "Danil's been flittin' back 'n forth from 'ere an th' deck, but none o' them sailors been givin' 'im any answers."  Danil was a boy three years younger than Chaeli's fourteen, known for his sharp wit and quick hands.  He had told her once that he had been in a band of street-thieves, but she knew no more of his past.  He was very closemouthed about it.  

            Deciding to go see how things up top were for herself, she thanked Sauda for waking her and set off up to the deck.  The night's storm had passed while she slept, leaving only a dim cover of dove-gray clouds and wet surfaces in its wake.  The sea, clear and blue-gray, lapped gently along the sides of the boat, calm as the clouds that reflected in its slightly rippled surface.  Avoiding the crew and upper-class passengers, Chaeli weaved her way along the dock, careful not to slip in the numerous puddles.  When she was not too far off from the bow, she found herself a nice stretch of railing and leaned out against it as far as she dared.  For a moment, she saw nothing.  Then she gave a small squeal and came closer than she liked to toppling over the side of the ship in her excitement.  For in the distance, she had spotted land!  It was too far off for her to see any details unaided by a view-scope or some such, but she could make out a line of darkness on the horizon that could not be anything other than the southern banks of Tyra.  

            _Land, land! she thought eagerly.  She felt a tug on the sleeve of her homemade dress, and turned to see Danil staring up at her, his pale blue eyes standing out against his skin.  His wide mouth was curled in a lopsided grin, and he pointed a scarred hand out across the railing to the land beyond._

            "You see it?" he asked, eyes dancing.

            "Yes," she replied, trying to retain a calm demeanor.  "I expect we'll be there by nightfall."  She stared out at the water as Danil gave her one of his odd, assessing stares.

            "You talk funny," he finally declared, then scampered off, no doubt looking for things to nick.  Chaeli simply sighed.  It was not the first time she had been told that, that was for certain.  She had been one of the few slaves in service to Princess Pazia Iliniat that had the ability to read and write, skills taught to her in secret by the red-robed mage Ilsa of Vance, who, after leaving the Imperial University, had offered her services to the princess.  What the formidable Pazia hadn't known was that Ilsa's sole intention was to aid the slaves, by teaching them, giving them money and even sneaking some out of the country.  When she'd been discovered, Ilsa had fled, and Chaeli, who had not only been a recipient of Ilsa's aid but also had been assisting the older woman to smuggle slaves out, had been left to receive the nobility's wrath.  New Imperial laws disallowed Pazia from sentencing Chaeli to death, so she was thrown out to the streets in the most shameful way Pazia could endeavor.  

            But thanks to Ilsa's monetary aid, Chaeli had been able to afford passage north.  What she wanted more than anything was to go to Tyra, for she was sure that if Ilsa hadn't been apprehended by the army, then she would have returned to her home country.  But Chaeli knew where she had to go.  She _had to find the Wildmage, the only person in the whole world who could help her.  Only the Wildmage could stop her madness.  _

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So, what do you think?  Hehe, I can tell you, I immensely enjoyed writing this, and I like the little plot I've been developing... ^-^  I hope that you liked this though, because the readers' opinions do matter to me, very much so!  Hmm.. so, I'd greatly appreciate if you'd eave me a little review, and let me hear what you think!  I know this beginning might not have been the most interesting thing in the world... but don't worry, things do get better and more interesting!  

Always,

~Hollie


	2. The Thrush

            Hey hey!  Sorry the update's taken me such a long time.. I have so much stuff to do outside of fanfiction, and so many stories that require my attention here!  ^-^  But I finally settled down long enough to write a quick chapter for this... enjoy!

**Disclaimer:  Tammy's stuff is Tammy's stuff, and that's that.  Ah, Chaeli's mine, as is Kitoko, Ilsa, and whoever else I might happen to create. **

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The Power Within

By Hollie Black

            The first thing Chaeli noticed as the ship's captain and its crew expertly maneuvered their vessel into the crowded docks of the port-city was the smell.  It was as if a fancy scents shop and a refuse container had collided, creating smells that were extremely pleasant, devoutly unpleasant, and all the ranges in between.  Having spent half of her life living in slums along the bank of the River Zekoi, she was hardly a stranger to the atmosphere of water-side cities, but this particular place was as alien to her as anything.  

            Houses, shops and warehouse buildings were all squashed in tightly, as if some giant being had stumbled across the place and squeezed the whole street together with its hands.  A broad walkway divided the docks from the homes and shops, and it was packed as tightly as the buildings were with people.  The people were also strange to her; she saw some Carthaki, dark skinned and haired and all with an air of purpose.  Also she recognized the majority as Tyran, for most had the same general make up as Ilsa had, tall, slim and tanned from long labor in the sun.  

            But there were others as well.  Chaeli watched a man with brown skin, black hair and eyes and a strange white hooded cloak as he conversed with a Tyran merchant.  The merchant seemed to have no interest in what the other man was saying, however, and he gestured a rude dismissal.  The first man returned to a group of men and woman all with the same coloring and garb as he, and they bowed their heads together in private discourse.  

            Not far along, Chaeli spotted a family of blonde-haired, blue-eyed people with skin so fair they stood out among the crowd of mainly southerners.  The husband seemed to be attempting to barter a boat off of two men with jet black hair, greased and looped, who Chaeli recognized with a shudder as Copper Islanders.  She had heard of far too many stories of the cold-hearted Copper Islanders to be comfortable being even this distance from then.  Where the blonde man and his family had come from though, she couldn't fathom a guess.  

            _Busy place, isn't it? she heard a voice behind her ask.  Chaeli turned, her eyes searching for the speaker, but though there were many people up top as the boat docked, she saw no one looking her way.  Except, that is, for a very small bird.  _

            The thrush, no bigger than the palm of Chaeli's hand, was mottled brown and yellow on its back and wings, with a dove-gray belly and a brown head.  It flapped its wings to keep aloft, staring at her with beetle black eyes.  

            _Oh, no, Chaeli thought, panicked.  __Not again, great merciful Mother, not again!  Heart racing, she turned her back to the thrush, praying to the Goddess that this was all a very bad dream.  When she opened her eyes again, it was to see the thrush, perched on the guardrail with his head cocked to one side, looking at her curiously.  _

            _It's rude to ignore someone when they speak to you, it said.  _

            "Please," Chaeli whispered through clenched teeth, "please, don't hurt me, just leave me alone!"

            _Hurt you? The thrush sounded amused.  __Why would I want to do that, fledgling?  _

            "Please, just go away!"  She kept her tight voice low as she checked anxiously over her shoulder again and again, to make sure no one was listening.    

            _Now fledgling, I can't do that.  You need someone to watch over you, the People have been worried.  _

            Her fear temporarily forgotten, Chaeli asked, "the People?"

            _Yes, the thrush answered, as if she should already have known.  __You know, us of claw and fur, wing and scale.  Our kind._

            "_Our_ kind?" Chaeli repeated, flabbergasted.  "I've nothing in common with you, I just need to make this madness go away!"  Her self-control had reached its breaking point and fear gripped her like a vice.  She had thought she'd left most of her problems back in Carthak.  To find that her greatest trouble still plagued her... She shivered.

            _You aren't mad, the thrust told her, not unkindly._  You're a little silly right now, but you're not mad.  __

            "This isn't happening," the sensible side of Chaeli said. "This is a dream, a perfectly harmless little dream.  Pretty soon, Sauda will wake you up, and the ship will have docked and you won't have ever met that little bird."

_            Kitoko._

            Chaeli looked down at the thrush, startled.  "What did you say?"

            _My name is Kitoko, not 'little bird.'  This is not the first time we've met, you know.  Correctly interpreting Chaeli's confused expression, Kitoko elaborated_.  I am one of a flock of thrushes that spends winters in the western courtyard of the palace of the human who used to order you around and was mean.  __

            Chaeli searched her memory for birds that fit that description at Pazia's palace.  An image popped into her mind; a swarm of brown, yellow and russet, pecking and pulling mercilessly at the princess's hair and face after she had dealt Chaeli and another slave, Miriam, particularly heavy blows when she thought they'd dallied with their work.  Chaeli and Miriam had escaped untouched, and it had been the last time she'd ever seen the birds in the courtyard; she had always figured Pazia had somehow captured or killed the small birds.  

            The thrush didn't seem to be finished talking, and he chirped softly to regain her attention.

            _We were worried about you when you left, fledgling, Kitoko said with sympathy in his voice__.  So I was elected to find you and make sure you did not run astray.  We feared you may have left the nest too soon._

            This was all just too much for one fourteen year old girl to handle.  

            "Just stop already!" she cried, garnering weird stares from those nearby.  Curious faces watched as she yelled at the tiny thrush, who, unlike most birds that would've flown away, sat patiently during her rant, barely even blinking.  

            "Leave me alone," she sobbed finally, falling to her knees and curling up into a ball right against the railing, covering her head with her arms.  The thrush watched patiently for a few minutes, and when he sensed that she was calm again, he flew down from the rail to perch on her knee.

            _You are fighting something that cannot be fought, Kitoko said, though their audience of course couldn't hear him.  __Please try to calm yourself, fledgling; as I told you before, you have no madness in you.  _

            Chaeli picked up her head, teary and red-rimmed brown eyes locking with black ones.  "How do you know?" she asked hoarsely.  

            _Fledgling, do you really think I would perch on the knee of a madwoman?  The People are smarter than that, I assure you.  Are you sufficiently calmed now?_

            Mutely, Chaeli nodded.  _Good_, Kitoko said as he took flight once more.  _Come along then, the humans are getting off this infernal thing, and I'd like to as well.  _

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            Yup, so, that's it for now.  Short, I know, and once again, I'm sorry!  But I simply don't have time to write more now, and I don't think that I'll have time to do more in the near future.  And, if I do find time, I really want to dedicate that to an update of my LotR fic, Lian: Part Two.  I'm sooo behind in that... *blushes*  Anyways, so that's it for now.  One last thing before I go... thank yous!  My favorite part of all!  

**Larzdinn- I don't know what to say either!  I'm so flattered!  Thank you very much... and yes, I've noticed a lot of MSs, and I do plan to try my hardest to keep Chaeli from being one.  I don't want to make her perfect, I want her to seem real.  A real person in a fictional world, with weaknesses and strengths, flaws, talent, and everything else.  And as for the times... *sigh* the only reason that I didn't put in exact dates is because I'm still trying to figure that out myself, but I don't have the time (yet) to do it.  I can tell you that it takes place after the Immortals, but not long after... it begins about in Kel's second year... whenever the date of that is.  (Don't have my book handy)  Anyways, I will figure that out eventually... I hope.  ;o)  Thanks so much for the positive review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Sarai-IceElf- Hehehe... Exceeding the bandwith... ah, you're too much, really.  Always make me laugh!  Thank you soooooooooooo much for the positive stuff, it means so much!!  And I CANNOT WAIT for more of RR!!!  I know I already told you that in my review the other day, but I really can't wait!!  ^-^ J'adore ta histoire!  **

**ElveNDestiNy- You're making me blush!  Ah yes, I am a MAJOR fan!  One of my friends introduced the Protector of the Small quartet to me about a year and a half ago... and I've been hooked ever since!  Hehe, and since Immortals was my all time fave, I just _had_ to write a fic that would include Daine & Numair! (though, they won't show up till later on... :(  Anyways, thanks so very much for all the flattery, and I sincerely hope that this chapter met with your approval!  **

**Quiet One- Hehe, I know you didn't forget me... like I'd let ya.  ;o)  Don't worry bout it, I _definitely know what's it's like to be insanely busy!  Aargh, why'd school have to come this year anyways?  It totally gets in the way of fanfiction time!  Hehe, and I **can't wait** for the revised ES!!!  And the next chap for the PotC fic!!!  I know they're gonna rooocccckkk!!!  Hehe!  _**

Okay, I think that's everyone... thanks guys!!  You all totally rock my socks!  

Always,

~Hollie


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